Michael B. Jordan explains why he sees himself in Will Smith and his approach to Hollywood

• Michael B. Jordan told The Hollywood Reporter that he relates to Will Smith's career approach.

Michael B. Jordan said that he relates to Will Smith's business approach to his decades-long career.

"Will took an enterprise approach, and that's something I connect with," Jordan told The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview. "He says all the time that he doesn't feel like he's the most talented, but he works the hardest. It's work ethic, big vision, marketability."

Nowadays, Smith is one of the most recognizable actors, but his success in Hollywood is the result of a carefully crafted career.

The entertainer rose to fame in the '80s as a rapper known as the Fresh Prince. Smith earned two Grammys as part of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.

He transitioned to acting when he landed the starring role on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" after an impromptu audition while at a party at Quincy Jones' mansion. Smith starred on the hit sitcom for all six seasons between 1990 and 1996.

In his self-titled memoir released on November 9, Smith recalled telling his manager, James Lassiter, that he wanted to be "the biggest movie star in the world."

He and Lassiter did extensive research to determine what qualities a movie star possessed. After studying screenplays, Smith came up with "the three Fs of movie stardom" that were based on three facets of human desire: "You have to be able to fight, you have to be funny, and you have to be good at sex."

They also analyzed the top 10 grossing movies of all time and found that a majority of the films had special effects, creatures, and a romantic storyline.

Smith went on to seek out film roles that incorporated those elements. The result was the actor starring in eight consecutive No. 1 films that made over $100 million domestically: "Men in Black 2;" "Bad Boys 2," "I, Robot;" "Shark Tale;" "Hitch;" "The Pursuit of Happyness;" "I Am Legend;" and "Hancock."

In addition, Smith said that he monitored Tom Cruise's global press activity so he could surpass him as the biggest movie star in the world.

Today, Smith continues to star in major projects and serve as a producer. His latest film, "King Richard," is garnering the actor Oscar buzz for his performance as the father of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams.

Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, his wife since 1997, also founded their own entertainment company that was launched in 2019 called Westbrook Inc. The studio is behind Pinkett Smith's hit Facebook Watch series "Red Table Talk" as well as "King Richard."

Although Smith and Jordan have an age gap of nearly 20 years, their careers have similar parallels.

Jordan's breakout role came when he landed the role of Wallace on the HBO drama series "The Wire." He went on to appear on several TV shows, including "All My Children," "Friday Night Lights," and "Parenthood."

Jordan's performance as Oscar Grant in Ryan Coogler's award-winning 2013 film "Fruitvale Station" led to even more high-profile projects, like the "Creed" films and the role of Erik Killmonger in Marvel's "Black Panther."

Jordan also launched his own production company, Outlier Society, in 2016 to elevate diverse storytelling.

In addition to producing many of his projects, the actor is set to make his directorial debut in "Creed 3," which he's also starring in.